Noob looking for advice for upgrading with a lift for bigger wheels

OP - first you need to decide how you are going to use the Jeep. Throwing $ and random aftermarket parts at it will be expensive and if not done right will make the Jeep very unpleasant to drive. This forum is full of members asking what is wrong as their Jeep (which they just purchased used) is a bear to drive on the highway. A 3-4" lift if done right can be expensive.

A set of 5 18x10" wheels will cost you about 1200 to 1300 dollars and you will have to add in an additional amount for upgraded spare mount for you will not be able to put that wheel and tire combo on the stock carrier, not to mention that the tire and wheel combo will exceed the weight limit of 85 pounds for the stock carrier. You have an extremely limited choice of tires in that size and all are LR E which has stiffer side walls. These are basically tires for HD pickups. In addition, IMHO, the tread pattern is that of a weak to moderate AT tire, more in the keeping of the Bridgestone Dueler AT tires that came on your Sahara.

If you want 33" tires, there are a lot of far better combos to go with. I am running 33" tires on my '17 Chief without a lift. The Chief is a Sahara special edition, but came with 17" wheels and BFG KM Mud Terrain tires(Rubicon Recon style wheels, but in silver). I wanted to get rid of the tires, and took the opportunity to replace the wheels as well and go to 33" tires. The actual size of tire is an LT285/70R17 which measures 32.8" tall and are 11.2" wide. (About 1/2" shorter and more importantly 1.6" narrower than the 325/60R18 tires.) I replaced the wheels with 17x8.5" wheels with 5.2" of backspace to move the tire/wheel combo out a bit to clear the suspension. (Jeep JK and most JL original wheels are 7.5" wide and 6" of backspace). Also keep in mind that the wider the tire, the greater the rolling resistance of the tire and corresponding MPGs. Tall skinny tires get better mileage than short wider tires, and for the same height, the more narrow the tire, the better the mileage.

The wheels I went with to go with the retro styling of the Chief are the Quadratec CJ Retro wheels which are white spoke wheels, but in aluminum instead of the original steel and as stated 17" instead of the original 15". The combo of tire and wheel is slightly heavier than stock at about 77 pounds (51 pounds for the tire and approximately 26 pounds for the wheel).

I am very satisfied with the BFG KO2 tires I got, based on many recommendations of other members. They are more aggressive than the majority of the "AT" style tires, yet in the LR C rating they are very well mannered on the road and have the 3 peak winter tire rating. (Useful for many members but not needed here in S. Georgia).

Quadratec has over 1400 wheels listed for the JK. You can select the size, offset, bolt pattern etc. Quadratec is a Jeep only supplier, so everything on their website will fit a Jeep. When you see a wheel that you like, call and get a quote. At that time ask to be set up in the computer for the Wrangler Forum discount. It will pay most of the sales tax for you. Later it will be applied to on line orders but doesn't show up until your purchase hits your card and the invoice in generated (about the time the shipment is prepared).

I didn't jump right on those tires. There was another thread on here with members discussing the 285s. I asked one of them to post a photo down the side of their Jeep as I wanted the tread to remain under the fender. I then posted a similar one of mine. Here it is:


I like the 285s better than the factory LT255/75R17 (a common size on the Sport S and Rubicon but not the Sahara) because the fit with no modifications to the Jeep. Now, if I were to go someplace that required a lot of suspension twist, I might rub the underside of the fenders.

As to the YJs, both of mine came with 215/75R15 tires (28") and I ran 235/75R15 (29") on the factory aluminum wheels. I never reset the speedometer, it was just always about 1mph lower than actual.

Red is 4” lift and 35x12.5
Silver is a leveling kit with 33x12.5


3.5-4” of lift would be WAY too much for 33’s

The red ran 37’s with this lift, with room to spare